Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1887-06-02
NATIONAL FINANCES.
Some Facts and Figures from Gov.
ernment Statistical Work.

Some Facts and Figures from q Cow
ernment Statistical Work.
Washington, d. O.. May alA volume
labeled Statistical Abstrac5 of the
United States" has Just been issued from
the treasury department, 1t has some
thing oyer 200 pages and every page
fairly brlstles with figures. Figures are
supposed to be very tiresome things, but
the story that some of those tell is Gu
rlous and. interesting. Take the very
first page for instance. 1t shows in long
columns what the estimates OF the secre-
tary Of the treasury have been for each
year since 1868, as to the receipts and
expenditures OF the government, and be-
side theseis shown what the receipts and
expenditures actually were in those
years.
1t is very interesting and curious to
see how expert these people become in
making these estimates. They are mode
eight months before the beginning OF
the financial year which they are to Gov
or. How they can, with any accuracy,
predict what the receipts and expendi-
tures will be from eight to twenty
months in advance, is pretty difficult to
tell.
TO make an estimate On a years re-
ceipts, which you know are likely TO run
from $3.50. 900, 600 to Ss400, 900, 900 and come
within 100000 or Sc, 100000 of it is
pretty close guessing, especially when it
| has to be done twenty months in advan-
oe. In 1886 for instance the guessing
| corps of the treasury estimated that The
receipts of the department for the fiscal
year ending June 80. 1882, would be
$400. 100000. The figures that stand by
that show that actual receipts for that
tssr were $4O3 100000. Pretty good
guessing that.
| The second page snows the amount OF
the receipts of the government in the
| past 20 years or SO. They ran MP into
pretty big figures. The government re-
ceipts from ordinary sources, such as
tariff, internal revenue, run just abou,
| ST. 600 600 per day. In the past five
years the net ordinary receipts from
these sources have averaged a little
oyer 81, 600, 000e day, and the net ordin.
| ary expenditures have amounted "a
about Ss500,000 day, emitting principa
and interest OF the public debt.
u
on the pnblio debt. They are especially
interesting just now. too, because of the
fact that the last of three per cent bondl
are now called in, and our national deb
Is easily figured up. For the first tim,
in nearly quarter of century the in,
terest bearing debt has fallen below
billion dollars. OmIttiug reference e
the Pacific railroad bonds, our interes
bearing debt is now $685., ,997, 800. Twenty
two years ago it was So, 1881 $50 ,294. Al
that time the interest amounted to on,
J hundred and fifty millions a year; now i
amounts to forty millions. Then th
debt was SZ8 per head OF population
lnow it is but little over 500 each. Thei
the annual amount was 81 80 per capita
now it 6S cents. Now we are paying ION
: and half per cent on $3.50, ,000, 900, an
four per cent on the remaining $737 COO
; 090. Then we we're paying seven an
threb.tenths per cent on $3.50 000, 900 an,
six ptr cent on $l,484, ,0G0, 900,
On another page is given the amour
OF imports for each year since 1880. I
s that year the total value ct the good
. imported IN the country was $62, ,000
9 600. a half century later, in 1880, th
\ imports was 1867 100000, or over 4
: times what it wss IN 1880. The laHgee
. importation of any year was ia l8SI
0 when they amounted To 1925, ,G00, 90,
T The duty collected on the importation
. lamounte,s to just about $500, 900 do,
: Tor about $3.50, ,000, 900 year. Five yes;
$ ago it reached its highest point, $2I6
! 900, 900. collected as duty on importaI
3 merchandise.
sl Oae page is devoted 90 sayings bank
8 1t shows the number OF dspositorGs
!. the 633 savings banks over the countl
y to be over three millions, tie amount
y their deposits to By overx billion. III